19 Best Cosplay Ideas for Halloween

19 Top cosplay costumes to use for Halloween ideas

Halloween is, by far, the best holiday of the whole year. Who needs presents under a tree or a giant turkey when you can spend the day dressed up as your favorite fictional character instead?
Of course, you don’t have to wait until Halloween to rock some cosplay, but it is the fastest approaching excuse to do so, so we highly recommend it!
However, a word of warning: if you’re the type of person who starts planning for their costume on October 30: we see you, we love you, a lot of times we are you, but a lot of these costumes are not for us. These are incredible works of art that took hours and hours of planning and constructing to pull off, and of course they look amazing. The plain white t-shirt with “404: Costume Not Found” written on it in Sharpie is just not going to make this list.
So if you’re willing to put a ton of effort into your cosplay, feel free to get some inspiration from these awesome warriors, superheroes, villains, and even trolls. If not, then peruse, admire, and drool a little as we show you the best cosplay costumes around. Read on to see our picks!

Ivy and Harley

Two of our favorite mischief-makers make a great pair in this photo! Poison Ivy has gone all out with the foliage and the body paint, and Harley Quinn has really committed to that sexy-but-I-will-kill-you vibe. As far as we know, the camera-man did make it out of the encounter alive – barely. (Source: Business Insider.)

Edwardine Scissorhands

Who doesn’t love a good gender-bent cosplay? This woman’s take on Edward Scissorhands is fantastic, from the deep, sad expression to the deathly pale face. Hey, Tim Burton – feel like doing a remake?
This would be a pretty awesome Halloween costume though, and not impossible to do – with the convincing makeup and fake-metal accessories, it’s right on the mark. (Source: whybecosplay.)

The Ayakashi Sisters from Sailor Moon

Sailor Moon cosplays are everywhere, and of course Sailor Moon is the most popular, but you and your friends could give the Ayakashi sisters some love! From left to right are Beruche, Karaberas, Petz, and Cooan. These ladies did an amazing job bringing this 90s anime to life. (Source: Pinterest.)

Scarecrow

With all the hype about The Joker, some of the other Batman villains don’t get as much love - but this cosplayer doing Scarecrow knocks it out of the park. We’re not sure how he walks around comfortably, but however he does it, it’s worth it for the effect. That poor kid doesn’t know what he’s getting into (unless he’s played Arkham Asylum, of course). (Source: redditor, lobor0.)

Trolling

Far from the angry anonymous man on the internet insisting that your opinion is wrong and you’re stupid, these trolls are adorable and nostalgic. If you have a group of friends that’s down to don some crazy colored hair and belly button jewels, this would be an amazing group costume. (Source: Instagram, jtrav.)

Mystique

The attention to details it what makes this Mystique cosplay hit the top of our list. Not only are her yellow eyes and incredible makeup on point, she’s got the skull on her forehead and the belt of skulls (not in this picture) around her waist, in a nod to the comics. We love it. (Source: thenerdmag.)

I am Groot

Groot became an instant classic when Guardians of the Galaxy came out, and right away there were Groot cosplayers everywhere - but this cosplay goes way beyond just gluing some twigs to your arms and legs and calling it a day. This incredible, handcrafted costume blew us out of the water – even the expression on the mask is nailing it! (Source: Business Insider.)

Mad Max

In this eerie and spot-on cosplay, this little kid does an amazing job as Nux, the War Boy (turned good guy) from Mad Max. He’s got the bloodline and everything! But if you want to be someone else from Mad Max, never fear... (Source: Business Insider.)

Mad Max

The whole family is in on it! You can see here, the kid cosplaying Nux is hooked up to his dad, “Mad” Max. They’ve also got Furiosa, another War Boy, and the mom is even doing a gender-bent Immortan Joe (with a real repurposed ventilator mask!). Creepy. (Source: Business Insider.)

Storm

We’ve got another mutant on the list! With the sky-high white hair and incredible look, we just couldn’t say no. If only she could help out areas with a drought situation. (Source: Matt Cowan, Getty)

Ghostbuster Girls

The new all-girl ghostbusting team makes for great costume inspiration – who doesn’t want to dress up as a ghost-butt-kicking superstar? We love the intense looks and commitment to the uniform – these girls are definitely going to keep us safe. (Source: apimages.)

Riri and Tony

If you haven’t heard, Riri Williams is taking the Iron Man mantle in the latest comic books (with the moniker Ironheart). We love this chance meeting between Tony Stark and Riri, previous generation and new generation – and of course both of their costumes are incredible. (Source: dolphnsix.)

Black Widow

If she looks like she might kill you while also looking awesome, she’s nailing Black Widow – and this woman definitely has it down. We love the attitude, the intensity, and the overall effect of the costume and flowing red hair – there’s a reason why she made it on our list! (Now can we have a Black Widow movie already??) (Source: Imgur.)

Battle of the Hatters

We might have to bring in Johnny Depp to moderate this one – even we can’t decide which Mad Hatter we like the best! They both look kooky and crazy and a little unhinged, and the quirky Victorian-inspired jackets and top hats are top-notch. You decide! (Source: gabbinggeek.)

Batman and Robin

The new iterations of Batman may have intimidating black masks and body suits that carve out your abs, but sometimes you get in the mood for a bit of a throwback. That’s why we love this Batman and Robin pair! (Source: scottsebring.com.)

Jurassic World

We can’t help it, we’re a sucker for the silly. And this one is both silly and amazing, so it definitely makes the list. The woman playing Claire is pretty good, but of course what really sold us was the very realistic, very intimidating, totally believable raptor behind her. Well done. (Source: heraldextra.)

Alien

This one is one of our favorites for two reasons: first, it’s Adam Savage. No explanation needed. Second, it’s ridiculously detailed and awesome! His replica of Sigourney Weaver’s suit in Alien is just incredible – every detail is there - as it should be, because he spent ten years making it. Have fun celebrating Halloween in 2026. (Source: mydisguises.com.)

Kida

Of course, no Halloween is complete without a few princesses. But not just any princess would make this list! For truly dedicated fans, this costume is a treat – this is Princess Kida from Atlantis. As one of the most badass of the Disney princesses, she more than deserves this excellent homage. (Source: acparadise.)

River Tam

We’re going to end this list with a cult favorite: River Tam from Firefly. This smart, slightly-off-kilter girl kicks butt in the TV series and the film, and is a great choice for cosplaying and for Halloween! All you need is a simple dress, combat boots, a scary weapon and a scarier amount of attitude. (Source: artist_genevra.)

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